Death Penalty

Caitlin KellyThompson
Pasadena City College
Abstract
This paper talks about how the death penalty effect Americas economy, who it impacts the most, and the possibility of innocence. These reasons will point
to why it should be abolished. According to C. com, there are thirty!two states that allow death penalty in America" Connecticut, #aryland, and ew
#e$ico ha%e abolished the penalty but it is not retroacti%e. Appro$imately &,'() inmates are waiting e$ecution right now, since '*+,, when the death
penalty was reinstated by the -... .upreme Court, ',&,/ people ha%e been e$ecuted. Another article by the Death Penalty 0nformation Center states that
race is one of the main factors of getting the death penalty, that most %ictims that are black, hispanic, or other than white ha%e less con%ictions then when
white people are the %ictim. 1indication for %ictims and closure for %ictims2 families are often held out as primary reasons for supporting the death penalty.
3owe%er, many people in this community belie%e that another killing would not bring closure and that the death penalty is a disser%ice to %ictims. The
family %ictims made two organi4ations, established when the death penalty was passed in '*+,, called murder %ictims family for reconciliation or murder
%ictims family for human rights. To ensure that innocent people are not e$ecuted, death penalty cases often take many years, and e%en decades, before
reaching a resolution. As a result, murder %ictims2 families interact with the criminal 5ustice system for a much longer time than they would if the death
penalty was not sought. .ome cases still get through the crack, there ha%e been multiple cases where people ha%e been con%icted for admitting to the cop
they did it but they were innocent. 6astly the ma5or problem the cost. The cost and time %aries from state" in colorado! that capital proceedings re7uire si$
times more days in court and take much longer to resol%e than life!without!parole 869:P; cases, in California! the cost of the death penalty in California
has totaled o%er <= billion since '*+), if the >o%ernor commuted the sentences of those remaining on death row to life without parole, it would result in
an immediate sa%ings of <'+( million per year, with a sa%ings of <? billion o%er the ne$t /( years, ew @ersey, Te$as, 9ashington, 0ndiana, ...etc. The one
uni%ersal fact of all these states is they pay more than they do for a life!without!parole.
Conclusion
The %ictim2s family are thought to be the ones that want the murder the most, but they would rather not keep dragging up the fact of their families death for
years and years and also think they should ha%e right to not die. 0t costs more for the go%ernment to process these cases then to send them to 5ail for the rest
of their life with or without parole, but since they get this sentence for murdering they shouldnt get parole and li%e in 5ail for the rest of their life.
Aeferences
C library 8/('=, Beb. '&;. Death Penalty Bast Bacts. Aetrie%ed from httpCDDwww.cnn.comD/('&D(+D'*DusDdeath!penalty!fast!factsD
Death Penalty 0nformation Center 8/('=, @anuary ;. Bacts About the Death Penalty. Aetrie%ed from
httpCDDwww.deathpenaltyinfo.orgDdocumentsDBact.heet.pdf
Death Penalty 0nformation Center 8/('=, @anuary;. 1ictims and the Death Penalty. Aetrie%ed from httpCDDwww.deathpenaltyinfo.orgD%ictims!and!death!
penalty
Death Penalty 0nformation Center 8/('=, @anuary;. Death Penalty 3urts!ot 3elps!Bamilies of #urder 1ictims. Aetrie%ed from
httpCDDwww.deathpenaltyinfo.orgDnew!%oices!death!penalty!hurts!EF/E)(E*&!not!helps!EF/E)(E*&!families!murder!%ictims
Death Penalty 0nformation Center 8/('=, @anuary; Costs of the Death Penalty. Aetrie%ed from httpCDDwww.deathpenaltyinfo.orgDcosts!death!penalty